Mae rests her head on her clasped hands getting a better view of Jonah’s gurgling face. She realizes only slightly that laying on the floor on her stomach might not be the most adult or lady like position, but at this moment she is completely content to simply be taking part in a staring contest with one of her favorite people. Even if he can’t talk.
A popcorn kernel bounces off her butt and she twists her head around to glare at Trace. He’s sprawled across the couch pretending to be watching TV when in reality she knows he’s there to pester her. One of his favorite things to do.
“You having problems getting the popcorn from the bowl to your mouth slick?” she asks. Trace’s eyes dart over to her as he fights to maintain a neutral face. It’s completely futile. Mae can see the smile fighting its way onto his face at the corners of his mouth.
“Oh that? It slipped,” he answers simply. Mae rolls her eyes and then returns her attention to the more mature male in the room. Jonah rears up on all fours and rocks back and forth like he might take off like a rocket. Mae laughs when he begins to crawl towards her form reaching out a chubby hand to smack her forehead in what she likes to consider love.
If it’s possible she didn’t know how much she missed Jonah until her first day back. She was almost sure Justin wanted to shove her back out the front door when she teared up at the sight of the baby. In her defense he had lifted up his tiny arms at her like no time had passed and she was already emotion from receiving a visit from Aunt Flow.
Even though she hasn’t formally taken Justin up on his offer to move in, she sleeps in the guest house more nights than not and at this point most of her clothes are hanging in the cast closet she has no hopes of ever filling. Who wouldn’t want to be here all the time? Since she’s been back Justin has been beyond cordial and even bordering on friendly and Trace seems to always be around, always ready to jar with her or even just indulge in an entourage marathon.
In her mind they’ve begun to form a twisted abnormal family and she’s reveling in that.
Another kernel bounces of her foot and she simply ignores the plea for attention. Jonah has now made his way around her and is headed for the large CD tower he seems determined to pull on top of himself.
Mae reluctantly pushes herself off the floor and wraps her arms around the soft center of Jonah’s stomach just before his tiny hand can grasp at the tower. He emits a small grunt of frustration.
“You think you’re so sly Jones, but you’re not going to start in on mass destruction just yet. Save that for when you’re two or at least for when you’re alone with you daddy,” she instructs. Trace chuckles from the couch and Mae nestles her nose into Jonah’s neck causing him to squirm with a mixture of happiness and restlessness.
“I heard that.” Mae and Jonah’s heads turn as Justin’s voice breaks the moment. Immediately Jonah begins to squirm even more in Mae’s arms stretching his own arms out to his father.
“So this is what you do when I’m not here? Brainwash my kid into being rotten when I’m around?” Justin asks. Mae smiles unashamedly as Justin crosses the short distance between them to take the restless baby. Jonah’s fingers go right for Justin’s mouth, reaching in for some unknown prize inside. A chuckle overwhelms Mae as Justin softly nips at the unwelcome invasion.
“Actually I’m working on grooming him to be the anti-Justin but I save our especially rigorous and effective sessions for when I know you’re going to be gone all day,” Mae admits. Justin rolls his eyes unimpressed by the obvious lie. Trace groans as Mae lands on his legs. He glares at her before pulling his feet from underneath her.
“How did the meeting go? Trace asks once he’s rearranged himself. Justin settles into the empty couch and sets Jonah down on his blanket. He stretches his arms over the back of the couch and rolls his neck. Mae watches as Jonah immediately makes a beeline for the tower once again. She thinks about warning Justin, but instead sits back for a moment longer.
She actually likes the moments when the friends almost forget she’s in the room. Their familiar banter and ease make her feel like she belongs now rather than making her feel like an outsider. Her eyes rest on Justin’s face for a moment and the returning color. When she first came back he look roughed, and that’s putting it nicely. But slowly he was returning to his regular color and ease and she had noticed the changes and appreciated them.
A kernel hits her in the side of the face and instantly her eyes narrow. On her eyes path to give Trace his deserved death look, she takes in Jonah sitting on his haunches, the tower in his reach. One look over at Justin and his closed eyes lets Mae know that its going to be her save again.
She pulls the tiny body to her own just as he’s taken a grip on a Coldplay CD. The corner is already covered in a smattering of drool and Mae figures a little spit never hurt anything. With little thought she settles back down on the ground placing her own body between Jonah and his ultimate goal.
“Look at the stars, look how they shine for you,” she sings softly. Jonah grins showing off his three teeth. The silence that has taken over the rest of the room is lost on her.
“And everything you do, yeah they were all yellow,” she continues. Jonah rests a hand on each of her knees and reaches for her moving lips. She scrunches her nose and leans closer to him so he can reach. When his fingers trace he mouth and press into her eyes she can’t fight off the smile.
She loves that children are so pure in everything they do, no alternate motives, or hidden agendas, just pure love.
“I came alone and wrote a song for you.” Mae smiles up at Justin as he continues the song. He obviously does it a little more justice, but she likes that he joins in rather than groans and moans like Trace. Than if on cue trace chucks a pillow in her direction.
“Spare us the serenade?” he teases. Mae cocks a singe eye brow at Trace’s request.
“And all the things you do, and it was called yellow,” she sings at the top of her lungs. She can hear Traces groans through the last bit mixed with Justin and Jonah’s laughter, which has begun to sound oddly alike.
“God I think a dieing cat has better pitch,” Trace adds. Mae glances towards the kitchen and remembers the lack of ice cream there in. She lifts Jonah off the floor and sits him in Justin’s lap before heading towards the front door.
Mae squints as the setting sun hits her eyes. Damn her cravings. But when you really want organic vanilla, what can you do? She’s nearly to her car when she can hear Trace jogging to catch up.
“Mae hold up,” he calls. Mae rests against her car and waits for him to ask her to something up for him as well.
“Listen I’m sorry about the cat shit, I didn’t mean it,” he breathes. Mae tilts her head to the side and tries to place what he’s talking about. Justin doesn’t have a cat and she wouldn’t be caught dead with one. Allergies and all.
“What the hell are you going on about?” she presses. Trace shoves his hands deep into his pockets and avoids eye contact. Mae leans over a little trying to force the eye contact.
“I don’t mind the singing I was just fucking with you,” he offers. Mae purses her lips and vaguely his words from the living room come back to her. She lets her head fall back as she laughs.
“You don’t have to apologize. I know I am awful, but for some reason that makes it more appealing,” she explains. Relief floods Trace’s face. Mae shakes her head as the last of the laughs escape her. She stopped being insulted about her singing when she was four and her grandmother gently explained to her that most people don’t send dogs running when they sing.
“I thought you were pissed.” Mae reaches back for the car door and rolls her eyes. She wishes he could get the energy it took him to run out here back.
“Oh please. You’d have to do a lot better than that to scare me off,” she laughs. She leans down to slide into the car, but is stopped by Trace’s hand on her arm. She pulls herself out of the motion to face him, but before she can question his gesture, he’s pressed him lips against hers.
Mae’s eyes stay open out of shock and when he pulls away its all she can do to keep her mouth from dropping open. She watches as his Adam’s apple bobs with his heavy swallow.
She knew that his gaze lingered a little longer that most people and that he has an especially high tolerance for her, but she had never put that together to equal, well what just happened.
“I have been trying to figure out how to do that for awhile,” he admits. At least it hasn’t made him shy. His hit eating grin is almost competing with the sun. Mae nods slowly.
“Ok then. You want any ice cream?” she asks as she slips into her car. Trace chuckles and leans down to look at her through the open window.
“Not really. So you’re going to avoid this?” he asks. Mae nods furiously as she starts the car. She isn’t really one to run from things, but she feels that she deserves at least a minute to process what just happened.
“Yep.” Trace nods and smacks the top of the car before heading back into the house. Mae reverses as fast as she can without doing serious damage to any of Justin’s landscaping. She keeps the windows down the breeze whipping at her face making it impossible to have any real serious thoughts.
Even though she knows she should head back to face whatever the hell that was, she can’t be hurried at the market. She takes her time going down each isle and indulging in things she normally prides herself on passing by.
The checkout lady clicks her tongue as she passes the most unhealthy items in the Whole Foods store by the scanner. Mae smiles overly sweetly at her. Sometimes you just have to indulge. As she drops the fudge cookies in the bag Mae fishes them out and open the bag to shove one in her mouth. If she’s going to be judges it might as well be for a good reason.
When she snidely thanks Mae for coming in, Mae takes great joy in giving her a toothy grin, the chocolate smeared across her teeth. The sun has long disappeared by the time she makes her way to the parking lot.
The driveway is empty when she gets back to the house and she’s a little worried that she might have caused damage to their fragile dysfunctional family. This thought alone drives her to the couch, ice cream in hand.
She reaches for the daunting universal remote Justin is so proud of and stares at the thing mystified. Usually when she has the desire to watch something Justin or Trace is around to take care of the technicalities. She presses button that she swears looks like a TV, but when the stereo blares to life, its all she can do to hold her hands over her ears and hope the noise will stop.
“Damn woman, you trying to make my neighbors hate me?” Justin asks. Mae tentatively takes her hands away from her ears and is pleasantly surprised that he turned the noise off before speaking.
“I wanted to watch TV,” she explains lamely. Justin raise a single eye brow before touching one button and summoning the TV to life. Mae glares at the remote like it was spiting her.
“Where did you head off to?” Justin asks from the couch behind her. Mae turns to find that he has already helped himself to her fudge cookies. It’s better that way. She should not be allowed to eat them all.
Mae falls back into the couch and pulls her carton of ice cream towards her. The room is dark except for the light of the TV and its casting a bluish glow in Justin’s face that almost makes him look innocent, almost.
The mindlessness of the TV settles in and Mae takes a deep breath. A little o Justin’s scent gets pulled into her lungs and it calms her a little. This is what she needed a little comfort, a little escape from reality.
Author's Chapter Notes:
finally an update. you all have been fantastic with the reviews, can't say enough!
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